Jamestown weekly alert. [volume] (Jamestown, Stutsman County, D.T. [N.D.]) 1882-1925, 1887-07-14
THE ASYLUM BUILDINGS.
Work Well Under Way and OF Ex-
tensive Proportions.

Work Well Under Way and OF Ex-
tensive Proportions.
At the asylum grounds now, everything
is in the preparatory state Of confusion
usual to the erection of a large number
of buildings. The excavations have al
been started and are now we'll under way
The excavation for the female ward
is completed SO far that the foundation
walls are rapidly going up. The male
ward excavation is yet incompleted. At
the boiler room the extent and thorough
ness of the architects plans both for pres
ent and future necessities of the institu-
ton are seen. The huge chimney stack
has it's foundation laid deep in the ground,
and bed of immense rock and concrete
will support its towering height. The
walls for the boiler room are fine speci-
mems Of stone masonry being thick and
shapely to degree. The electric light
engine will also be provided room in this
building, the dimensions of which are
such that ample boiler accommodation
will be had for large increase of patients,
even if the institution should ever con-
tain 5000 inmates. The cost of the boi-
ler house alone will be about $4,000.
Excavating for the corridors has begun,
and the ground broken for the amuse-
ment hall as well as the addition to the
superintendent Office, and the barn.
The immense amount ofstone required
in the building now under contract will
astonish any one not familiar with such
requirements. It is of course, nearly all to
be used in the foundation walls, and there
are at present on the grounds nearly 800
cords of fine ''nigger heads gathered by
teams from the neighboring farms and
hauled there even before the contract
was let. Messrs Flint and Eddy have
drawn great many stone and the aver
age distance which they have had to
90, has been about two and one-half miles.
Some of the stone are tremendous bowl
ders, one weighing twenty-one hundred,
and hauled by the ordinary wagon. Piles
of stone cucumber the grounds in every
u1TcCGlOu anu uuo VdIuc VI lu1S lOuuudClOu
material alone will aggregate about 5000.
In the purchase Of the asylum farm, the
trustees have made saving to the insti-
stone found upon the land. In the break
ing of those smooth and frequently pol
ished relics of the glacial age, which now
do such prosaic and valuable duty in the
basement of Dakota houses and public
buildings, the workmen become quite ex-
pert. An experienced man can tell
whether these stones will break easily or
not, by simply looking at the grain. If
fine and running straight through the rock
it breaks easily, but II conglOmerated or
diverse formation, will make tough
suject to handle. A few light blows of a
skillful hand will often burst apart the
largest Of these rocks.
The contractors, the Messrs Hotchkiss,
have at present about fifty men and a
dozen teams at work. This force will be
greatly increased soon, when the brick
layers and carpenters get employed. A
boarding house has been opened at the
grounds and many of the men take meals
there, while number also sleep in tents.
Everything is being done strictly in. .ac-
cordance with the specifications, and the
extent of the contract can only be ap-
preciated by visit and inspection of the
amount of work laid out to be done this
year. A portion of the buildings are to
be ready by November LIST and all to be
enclosed by January 1st. Some of the
interior finishing is not required before
next July.
The artesian we'll is to be commenced
within few days, and the Gray Bros.
daily expect their men and boring
machinery from Pennsylvania. Altogeth-
er the asylum grounds present busy
and enlivening scene, and later on will be
even more so.